Estonia supports keeping Bosnia and Herzegovina on course towards the European Union

16.04.2014

At a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Luxembourg, foreign minister Urmas Paet discussed the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the country's relations with the European Union and further steps in the integration process.

According to Paet, Bosnia and Herzegovina hasn't progressed any further in the integration process with the European Union for several years now. “It is important to keep Bosnia and Herzegovina on course towards the European Union, in spite of the complexity of the country's domestic policy situation due to parliamentary elections taking place in October,” he added.” We have to focus on helping the country solve its socio-economic issues. In terms of future perspectives, we support the continuation of thorough reforms, as a result of which it could be possible to join the European Union in the future,” he added.

In February and March of this year, citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina protested for the first time on a large scale against the country’s socio-economic problems and the actions of politicians. Among other things, they demanded faster progress towards integration with the European Union. While in Sarajevo in February, European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Füle announced that the European Union is set to initiate a dialogue with Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to increase economic capacity, and to improve the use of pre-accession assistance as well as the situation concerning the rule of law.